It Was Always You
by Mynameischloe
Summary: Eddie and Rachel have finally kissed at the bowling alley, but what happens next? Short 4-Parter
1. It

_**"Excuse me; are you calling me a liar?"  
"Oh I'm far too much of a gentleman to say that!"**_

We left the bowling alley hand in hand; silent but the happiest we'd both been in a long time. She was glowing and I could practically hear her heart piecing itself back together as we strolled without direction through the car-park, beneath the blanket of twinkling stars in the moonlit sky. It was perfection. I was in heaven.

As our feet brought us to a standstill by our cars – parked side-by-side, a pair, together, like we'd always been, Rachel and Eddie, Eddie and Rachel – I felt her grip tighten around my fingers. She didn't want this night to end. I squeezed her hand in return, reassuring her that nor did I.

"We'll pick it up tomorrow." She told me simply, referring to my car as if it was the most natural thing to do in the whole world, unaware that I'd temporarily stopped breathing.

And just like that, without any awkwardness or hesitation, I was spending the night at Rachel's.

The journey to her house seemed to take a lifetime. We argued playfully over whether we should listen to a CD or to the radio. She wanted the CD on but I wanted to the radio. I informed her that I'd missed today's football match whilst we'd been bowling and that I needed to find out what the final score had been. As I began to explain why it was such a life or death situation that I discover the outcome of my favourite football teams game she cut me off placing the palm of her hand on my thigh.

"Isn't having me all to yourself tonight worth not knowing?" She questioned with a smirk, leaving me completely speechless. The music from her CD quickly filled the silence. As if I even thought for a second that I'd ever win an argument with her.

For the rest of the journey I just sat and stared at her. Her eyes were dancing as she hummed along to her favourite songs, her fingertips tapping against the steering wheel to the beat. She looked so carefree, so relaxed and so, so beautiful.

And she was finally mine.


	2. Was

"_**Tonight, victory will be mine!"**_

I wait patiently behind her as she rummages through her handbag in search of her house keys. Part of me still can't believe I'm here; I'd lost hope of a moment like this ever happening a long time ago. It seemed, however, that luck was on my side. I just can't believe I've been able to resist her this long.

As Rachel finally pulls the jangling keys out of her bag, I give into temptation. My hands wrap around her waist, pulling her backwards into me. I lean down, nudging aside the collar of her bright pink jacket and white t-shirt with the tip of my nose before pressing my lips to the newly exposed skin of her neck. She squeals loudly, caught off guard by my sudden contact, and then begins to squirm in my grasp, her laughter echoing into the night all around us – I mentally take note that her neck is particularly sensitive, for future reference.

I hope the whole world can hear her happiness.

Managing to free herself from my clutches, she spins around to face me, her eyes aflame with passion and her cheeks flushed luscious pink. She stands on her tiptoes, pulling me forwards towards her, ensuring that our lips meet for the lightest of kisses. She then takes my hand and together we cross the threshold; both of her house and of our relationship so far.

She kicks off her trainers and leaves them strewn carelessly in the hallway on top of a rather vast pile of other shoes, something that amuses me greatly as I never took her as the messy sort. She knows what I am thinking and thumps me playfully in the chest.

"Don't think you're getting out of it either, Lawson," she tells me, looking accusingly at my own shoes and raising an eyebrow. "I'll get some drinks; the lounge is through there when you've taken them off. Make yourself at home." I watch her walk disappear through one of the many doors leading out of the hallway before adding my shoes to her pile, where they sit as if nothing out of the ordinary.

If her shoe keeping skills were unexpected then her lounge wasn't. It was everything I would have imagined Rachel's lounge to have been like. It was elegant and stylish. The walls were neutral, decorated with patterned artwork full of deep reds and midnight blacks. In the centre of the opposite wall stood a magnificent working fireplace, painted a glassy black to match the rest of the room, the mantle home to picture frame upon picture frame featuring the many frozen moments from before I knew her. I knew I would have plenty of time to study each one at a later date; tonight wasn't the time.

Instead, a take a seat on the settee which is opposite the fire place. I notice a worn, dishevelled rug at my feet, positioned directly in front of the fireplace. It is the only thing that seems out of place in the whole room. I reach down and run my fingers through the material and realise it's the softest thing I've ever felt. My mind conjures images of me and Rachel sat on it on a cold winter night, cuddled together whilst watching the flames dance before our eyes as they spread warmth throughout our bodies.

"It was Mums." I sit up quickly and turn to face the doorway where she is standing, leant against the frame, the promised drinks sitting within her grasp.

"It's beautiful," I tell her and I see her face light up. She enters the room, walking swiftly towards the settee, sitting next to me and curling her legs underneath herself. "Thanks," I reach out and relive her of the one of the glasses of red wine she has carried through with her from the kitchen. Our fingers touch briefly as the instrument exchanges hands, causing our eyes to be drawn together involuntarily. She smiles widely, contentedly and it's as though the whole room lights up around her. Her happiness is contagious; it radiates from her and it makes me feel so alive. With my free hand, I reach up and gently tuck a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear and she giggles shyly, the unfamiliarity of our situation apparent for the first time this evening.


	3. Always

"_**So much for our night of quality time..."**_

Not much conversation takes place as the night draws on, our lips put to better use pressed fervently against each other, parting only to refill our lungs with oxygen before locking together once more. It is as though we are making up for lost time.

My hands are tentatively placed on her hips, pulling her further into me, the overwhelming sensations of this closeness making me dizzy with anticipation. My fingertips slip underneath the hem of her t-shirt and she gasps as I begin drawing feather light circles against her skin. I smile into our kiss as her own hands grip my shoulders, allowing her to pull me closer to her until not even air can force its way through our bodies.

But then suddenly she is squirming against me, her lips tearing away from mine and her warmth vanishing from atop of my skin. I open my eyes warily, stunned at the abrupt loss of contact but simultaneously terrified that I'd pushed her too far too soon. But I am relieved to see she is smiling widely, a small giggle escaping from her throat as she watches my worried expression transform into a confused one. It doesn't take me long to realise what has happened though.

"Ticklish?" I ask with a grin, hypnotised by the darkness of her eyes as they sparkle playfully, her hands coming to rest on my own where they still lie on her hips. It seems that her neck is not her only sensitive spot.

"Maybe a little," she replies, oblivious to the mischievous tone of voice I had used.

"You shouldn't have told me that."

"And why's th – EDDIE! EDDIE, NO!" A high pitched, girly scream fills the room as my fingers begin to attack the vulnerable flesh just above her hipbone. She wriggles and writhes as she desperately tries to get me to let go, her shouts punctuated by giggles and deep breaths as I continue my torture. She throws her head back, her body following and she ends up lying on the settee as I hover above her.

Neither of us is quite sure as to when the atmosphere changes, laughter evaporating and replaced almost instantly by a tension that could only be relieved one way. She stares at me, her chest heaving; her auburn hair splayed halo-like around her beautiful face, wordlessly telling me that this is what she wants; confirming it as one of her hands reach up to cup my cheek.

I lean down and capture her lips in mine softly, gently and it's a kiss that speaks a thousand words. It tells her that I'm never going to leave her, it tells her that I'm sorry for all the hurt I've caused her, it tells her that I love her and that I always have.

As I pull away, she inhales deeply and I know something is wrong.

"Is this right?" She wonders aloud before I have opportunity to ask her myself.

"What do you mean?" I ask the question curiously, but deep down I know what she is about to say. I knew the conversation was going to happen at some point, I just never thought it would be this soon.

"Us, Eddie. It's like we're just forgetting you were engaged to my sister." She sits up, her eyes looking at everything but me and I'm reminded of the evening in the pub after the first day back at school. But this time I intend for it to end differently; I won't let her walk away.


	4. You

"_**My foot was behind that line!"**_

"She was just there at the wrong time, Rach," I begin to explain, taking her hands in mine, my thumb stroking her skin gently. "I just... when you turned me down in the pub, God, it hurt so much." She looks down at her feet. Clearly the memory of that night haunts her just as much as it does me.

"I know," It's barely a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

"But you shouldn't have to be! It was my fault," She looks up at me, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Your head was all over the place, Rachel. You nearly died in that fire and then you had all the stress of the gun that day, the last thing you needed was me trying to act as though none of it had happened. I just didn't realise at the time." I pause for a second as she squeezes me hand, her eyes fluttering shut, and I know she needs to hear more. "I shouldn't have given up so easily. But Melissa, she was..."

"Less complicated?" She finishes. My heart almost breaks for her, the sadness in her voice enough to make me understand just how unhappy I must have made her feel when I'd started a relationship with Melissa.

"Not really. You're not married to two other blokes, are you?" I laugh, trying to lighten the mood and it works as her lips curve upwards into a small smile. "But me and you, I thought that was it for us. I didn't want to risk our friendship by trying to force you into something you didn't want. But I was lonely Rach, I needed someone. And like I said, Mel was just there at the wrong time and I was drunk and..." But she cuts me off before I can continue.

"You were drunk?" She asks, bemused.

"Yeah, at the pub after her first day. I didn't mean for it to happen so soon after... well, what happened between us, but it just sort of did." I'm puzzled when she leans forward and puts her head in her hands and breathes in deeply. "What? What is it?"

"I came to the pub that night," she told me, her fingertips massaging her temples in frustration. "To apologise to you, really, I'd been too scared to bring it up before then. But I saw you both through the window getting cosy and I knew I'd missed my chance." She looked up at me and it was only then I noticed that she had tears in her eyes.

"Oh don't cry, Rach," I whisper, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into me. "I'm here now, that's all that counts, right? Melissa's gone and I'm still here, with you." She sniffs and nods.

"Yeah," she whispers, burying her head into my shoulder as her arms drape over my shoulders. I kiss the top of her head tenderly and the contact causes her to lift her head up so she is directly facing me. "I thought I'd lost you for good when she asked you to choose, Eddie."

"You had nothing to worry about," I murmur delicately, as she stands up, entwining her fingers with mine, leading me out of the lounge and towards the stairs. "It was always you."


End file.
